With the country in the midst of an economic crisis and the healthcare industry under scrutiny about holding meetings in what are perceived as resort destinations, this fall’s American Dental Association meeting in Hawaii attracted 6,000 fewer people than it did in 1999. And that’s OK....More

At their core, social networking tools provide a way for meeting attendees, speakers, and exhibitors to find one another. Rather than roaming receptions and exhibits in hopes of running into good contacts, sales leads, or friends, meeting-goers can search a database of attendee profiles to find people, then contact them using an internal e-mail system....More

As I watched the wildfires rage through Southern California this fall, it was bizarre to see how one house would be left standing, fully intact, while neighboring homes were reduced to nothing but smoldering rubble. It made me think of the hit-and-miss way in which the economic woes that began just a few months ago already are affecting association meetings....More

Religious meeting planners say walkability is an important factor in site selection. When considering destinations for religious meetings, Dallas-based Patti Kriss, meeting manager, Baptist General Conference of Texas, looks at a variety of criteria, including whether the convention center is downtown. In other words, the city has to be walkable....More